April 30, 2024
Get to know Manager of Transit, Bicycle, and Pedestrian Planning Amy Bernknopf.
What did you want to be growing up? When I was a child I wanted to be an actress and a singer.
What was your first job? Camp counselor at a day camp in high school.
What did you study in college? Political Science and Art History
How did you end up at DVRPC? I was an intern here at DVRPC in the Office of Modeling and Analysis group in between my two years of graduate school. I really enjoyed working with people and the environment and came back full time in 2011.
What are your responsibilities? Currently, I’m the Manager of the Office of Transit, Bicycle, and Pedestrian Planning. I work with a great team on regional and site specific projects to improve access for multimodal transportation and help our partners reach implementation.
What is your favorite part of working at DVRPC? The variety of work and responsibility and the people.
What is your work/life philosophy? Balance
What three words best describe you? Friendly, honest, empathetic
What is your favorite leisure activity? Reading novels and being with my family
What are your top three places you want to travel to? Over the past year I’ve visited Italy, but I’m interested in traveling in Central and South America more, in particular Brazil, Costa Rica, and Bolivia.
Are you a cat or dog person? I have a dog, Sunny. She is a beagle mix and so loving, so I guess I’m a dog person.
What is the most meaningful item in your house? My close friend I grew up with is an artist. For our wedding she gave us a three piece cork medium based piece that is about love.
What are you looking forward to the most in the next year? In October, Philadelphia will be hosting the national conference Mpact. I’m helping on the mobile workshop committee, and I’m really looking forward to joining the conference in that capacity and seeing all the presentations.